“Maybe there were no rats,” Beverly said. “Isn’t there a pneumonic form of the disease?”
“Yes, but the symptoms don’t match the famous descriptions of Black Death victims. The reason bubonic plague was suspected in the first place was because some of the victims displayed buboes, or swellings around the armpits and groin. That’s common in the conventional form of the plague. But they don’t occur in the pneumonic form.”
I searched my brain for an answer to the mystery. But I came up empty. “I give up. What caused the Black Death?”
She lifted her chin to the ceiling. “‘There have been masses of dead fish, animals, and other things along the sea shore and in many places covered in dust,’” she said in a haunting tone. “‘And all these things seem to have come from the great corruption of the air and earth.’”
I recalled the death and arid land I’d seen in Jerusalem and on Pagan. An uncomfortable feeling spread through me.
Simona lowered her gaze. Her tone normalized. “That’s a description provided by a contemporary of the Black Death. And it’s not an isolated one. Documents of the time speak of earthquakes, tidal waves, rains of fire, foul odors, strange colors in the sky, mists, even dragons.” Her gaze shot to the dragon statue before returning to me. “Most historians lack the imagination to understand these accounts. They chalk them up to colorful imagery or the ravings of religious fanatics. But they’re actually something else. They’re accurate accounts of what was happening at the time, as people tried to put into words the startling things they saw all around them.”
“You’re talking about metaphors,” I said.
She nodded. “Metaphors for a corrupted atmosphere, to be specific. You see, the ancients didn’t know about germs. Instead, they believed in something called the miasma theory. To put it simply, they thought rotting corpses and other dead things decomposed into poisonous, foul-smelling vapors. Those vapors supposedly spread epidemics among populations. And in the case of the Black Death, they were right.”
I recalled the notebook. Its title blazed its way into my brain.
Project Miasma.
“Air pollution might not be the healthiest thing in the world,” Graham said. “But it doesn’t just kill everything it touches.”
“This was no ordinary air pollution. The miasma that killed half of Europe’s population originated from the sky.” She smiled. “In other words, the Black Death was really death by comet.”
Chapter 80
“A comet?” Despite our predicament, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s crazy.”
Graham laughed. “Just so you know, major space impacts are rare. We’re talking one every ten thousand years or so.”
Simona smiled condescendingly. “Obviously, you’re only familiar with the American school.”
His laughter died away. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“There are two schools of thought on near-Earth objects. American astronomers believe the main threat to Earth lies in Apollo asteroids, which are solid bodies of rock crossing our orbit. They want to map the Apollos and keep an eye on them. Like you, they believe no large objects from space have struck this planet for many thousands of years.”
“You mentioned two schools.” I kept a close eye on the guards, but they kept their distance from us. “What’s the other one?”
“It’s based out of Britain,” she replied. “Unlike the Americans, its proponents believe comets pose the biggest threat to our planet. Comets contain a greater variety of materials, including ice, frozen gas, carbons, and rock. They’re often colored black and thus, are far harder to see in the sky. In addition, since most of their materials break away in mid-air, they don’t leave craters in the same manner as asteroids. The British school believes close encounters with comet fragments occur far more frequently than is commonly thought, perhaps in the neighborhood of one every couple hundred years or so.”
“So, you think a comet hit Earth way back in the 1340s?” Graham looked doubtful. “How can you be so sure without a crater?”
“We don’t have to trust the words of our predecessors alone,” Simona said. “Tree-ring data from Europe and the Americas indicates there was a global environmental downturn during the years of the Black Death. Also, ice core data suggests there were increased amounts of carbon dioxide and ammonia in the air at the time, suggesting ocean turnover. All of this points to a corruption in the atmosphere.”
“Let’s say you’re right,” Graham said. “How in the world does a comet corrupt the atmosphere?”
“The same way a volcano does.” My eyes tightened. “By stuffing it with dust and chemicals.”
“Very good.” Simona nodded. “Multiple sources indicate there was a significant earthquake on January 25, 1348. Other earthquakes soon followed. I believe fragments from Comet Negra, which passed by Earth in 1347, caused those quakes. In other words, our planet was subjected to a comet shower. Now, most of the fragments exploded in the atmosphere, producing ammonium, nitrate, and a whole host of other chemicals. Others collided with the ocean or in remote areas, setting off earthquakes in the process. In any event, the fragments injected large amounts of dust as well as a variety of chemicals into the stratosphere. The chemicals drifted downward, poisoning the breathing air and infecting the drinking water.”
A few uncomfortable moments passed. My brain reeled as I connected the dots between the Black Death and Project Miasma.
Graham glanced at her. “You said the Black Death had symptoms. Buboes, right?”
“That’s right.” My gaze turned to Simona. “How could a corrupted atmosphere cause buboes?”
“First-hand descriptions of the Black Death are far from similar. Symptoms varied from case to case, which is exactly what you’d expect in a corrupted atmosphere.” She rested her hands on her hips. “The corrupted air killed some people. But most importantly, it weakened many others, which made them easy prey for a whole host of diseases. Some of the victims probably did fall prey to bubonic plague. Others succumbed to anthrax. Still others fell to far simpler diseases.”
I tried to find the flaw in her logic. But her theory made a whole lot of sense. A severe corruption of the atmosphere had weakened people. Diseases had run rampant. Writers of the past and present had grouped them together, turning many ailments into the Black Death.
“A comet shower would explain the geographical spread,” I said slowly. “As material descended from the sky, it must’ve first fallen on the northern Mediterranean Sea. Then it branched outward, hitting some areas more than others.”
Simona nodded. “Exactly. If the atmosphere were well mixed, the material would’ve hit everywhere at once. But it’s not well mixed. My research indicates the material fell in concentric circles. That’s why certain cities were spared the Black Death while neighboring ones were devastated by it.”
“Ancient air.” The last big piece clicked into place. “That’s why you needed the reliquary. That’s why you collected those other artifacts, the ones that had been originally sealed in boxes. You’re trying to recreate the exact air quality that existed during the Black Death.”
“Actually, my scientists already recreated it. We call it Miasma.” Simona smiled. “First, they developed specific nanomaterials to mimic the properties of ordinary chemicals, only on a much greater scale. Then they spent many hours researching comets and trying to synthesize a mixture that would approximate the Black Death. But the result — which we call CN-46 — was unsatisfying. So, I started funding digs, hoping to find an air sample from the era. That’s how I met Lila. Unfortunately, she didn’t agree with my intentions.”